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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    One thing interesting about Ryan's heater is that he could make it arrive a few inches lower by simply switching to a two-seam grip. Why would he do that? If a hitter starts squaring up his four-seam heater, which rides a few inches higher in the zone than it looks like it should. Cat-and-mouse. For now, Ryan's fastball is fooling most hitters. Eventually, yes, they'll adjust. I just hope Ryan is ready with a quick fix, like the 2-seamer. Keep 'em guessing. Maybe then work on a cutter, so he's got the ball up, down, left and right. Could be a lot of fun, if the catcher remembers which pitches to call...
  2. jimbo92107
    As I watched the extended highlights, I thought Martin looked like a shoe-in as a future All Star. But then I remembered that sound - the sound of an artificial bat hitting a baseball. Supposedly they try to make composite bats react the same as wood, but it just ain't so. Looking at Martin's swing, I saw he was generating a lot of his power from his upper body, flipping the bat through the contact zone with wrist action. Slap hitter is not what the Twins want from a first round pick. This means the Twins will need to reconstruct Martin's swing to use his legs to generate power. The extra mechanics could bring his average down considerably.
  3. jimbo92107
    "He’s looked best at third base. Even there, he will be, at best, a slightly below-average defender. " I must challenge this pre-career assessment. We have all seen guys that were butchers at a position work their butts off at defense, later to become top shelf at their positions (Koske, Morneau, and frankly Polanco). All of them got to the majors via that wooden stick they waved so well. Now we have another one that needs work. Besides, the Minnesota Twins are famed for coaching up players on their defense. This franchise has always put a premium on making plays in the field. Teach him what that glove is for, Twinkie coaches!
  4. jimbo92107
    The only hired gun I've liked was Odo, and he's just about average. I think the Twins have at least two prospects whose floors are better than Odorizzi is today. Blaze and Canto both are better, and they are young young young young. There is a possibility to trade Duran + a top-20 position prospect for Montas (Cavaco? Sabato?), but otherwise, I reject deals with Oakland. I could see Sabato muscled up to be a 1B basher for the A's...
  5. jimbo92107
    For the second time in the last week, I feel like I'm looking at a guy that you could plunk into a major league rotation with no worries, other than the usual worries. Blaze has some beautiful stuff, including whatever that 94 mph sinker was. The tilt looked like a good slider, but at 94?? Like Ryan, Balazovic has very whiffable stuff. When you see guys missing by three or more inches, they are well and truly fooled. Unless his "spring training" whenever that is, really sucks, Baldelli should fight to get this guy in the mlb rotation. No more trading the farm for mediocre rentals. Twins top pitching prospects are already better than that, even without a few more weeks of "seasoning" in AA or AAA.
  6. jimbo92107
    Joe Ryan is going to be tons of fun to watch. For one thing, his riding heater tempts hitters to swing higher, since they're missing on average three inches low. If they do start to adjust, then Ryan can counter that problem by simply mixing in a two-seamer, same delivery, a few inches lower. Which heater will it be? Whoopsie, it's the curve or the change!
  7. jimbo92107
    OMG, young Patrick had at least three good pitches, a heater, a vertical snap curve, and a change that dies off the arm-side corner. He would have been a starter at the mlb level.
  8. jimbo92107
    Matt Canterino seems like a pretty good bet to me. He did have elbow trouble, but it's fixed now, right? He wasn't known for injuries before that, so... I'm fairly optimistic, though he might consider backing off a couple mph to save his arm and get a bit more control. Maybe Wes Johnson can work his magic with Canterino, too. Get those mid-to high-90's heaters with proper mechanics, not just max effort.
  9. jimbo92107
    Nick Gordon, y'all! He has been getting better and more versatile every year. His glove plays up the middle. His bat plays okay in various spots. Occasional gap power. Good speed and instincts on the bases. A good (not great, but good) all-around ballplayer. Odd - Twins Depth Chart lists Gordon as the starting SS. Doesn't that detract from his value as a utility man?
  10. jimbo92107
    Jhoan Duran, he has the power of fire in his hand. Let him live in the bullpen, to see if he can control this fire for the Twins. Maybe Wes Johnson can teach him to throw the same speed with a little less strain to his elbow and shoulder. If so, it could help him control his power. We know Duran will pitch in spring training. Who will throw faster? Nobody. With a lack of established attractions on the pitching staff (no Berrios, no Maeda, no Pineda), it could be a very cold April at the box office if the Twins don't heat things up a little by keeping a chair open for Duran.
  11. jimbo92107
    Deception. Josh Winder's "repeatable" delivery makes it very hard to distinguish one pitch from another, and he throws them all for strikes. Even pitching from the set, he looks smooth and unreadable. Frankly, Winder looks right now like a professional pitcher that belongs somewhere in a starting rotation. I hope he gets that chance very soon.
  12. jimbo92107
    I like to read about another hot Twins SS prospect before I do my morning bathroom. By the time I get out, I'm so refreshed! It's a little like Sally holding the football for Charlie Brown. Now Imagine Sally holding 3 footballs just for the SS position (Lewis, Martin, Miller). I'm not even looking for a Tatis, just an everyday shortstop. So many footballs, so little time. Sally's holding what, 6 to 9 footballs for pitchers? That's why I'd just as soon watch them call 'em all up. Let the whiffing begin. At least we can chuckle at the chaos.
  13. jimbo92107
    With young guns like Ryan and Ober trying to get their fast balls up in the zone, a guy like Odo could provide them with useful tips and observations, while also providing an example how to use high heat to best advantage.
  14. jimbo92107
    Costs too much in prospects. 2022 is when the Twins should be trying out as many prospects as they can at the mlb level. Gotta have 'em around to do that. I'd still rather see Zach Grienke come in and spread pitching tips around to the kids.
  15. jimbo92107
    I'd love to see Zach Grienke not just pitch for the Twins, but also become an assistant pitching coach. That guy has encyclopedic knowledge of all things pitching. Also, he knows something vital: How to get guys out without a high-90's fast ball. Teach that to the kids, sensei Zach!
  16. jimbo92107
    Here's my idea to solve the Twins DH problem: Designate $20 million dollars for the season to the DH position. At the end of the season, split that amount among all the players that DH for the team, according to how many times they served that purpose. Hard to imagine players will feel bad about DH'ing on their days off from fielding, when they get to take bites from that $20 million dollar apple. This would be especially tasty for rookies and young players that haven't reached arbitration money. Assuming roughly 550 At Bats for DH, 20,000,000 / 550 = over $36,000 bucks per At Bat...the price of a very nice car. Three AB's gets you a Tesla. 'Scuse me, I gotta go to the batting cage for a while...
  17. jimbo92107
    I'm not counting Smokin' Joe Ryan on this list because I'm assuming he'll be the team's #1 for the next few years. He's a starter that needs to be properly managed, not a "prospect." Jordan Balazovic - Once he's properly groomed, Blaze should push Baily Ober out of the #2 slot. Jhoan Duran - ...and then Duran should push Blaze out of the #2 slot... Sadly, those are the only two prospects whose stuff I have seen for more than a few pitches. Even so, if we assume (for once, not entirely crazy) that the first four guys do okay, that gives the Twins a very nice, very young front four. Add a veteran or a Dobsie, and you've got something like a pitching staff. If you can land a Pineda or a Maeda, you've might have a pretty good front ro. Best part is, that leaves some very good prospects ready to make the leap from the crowded nest of the minors, flutter their wings as they tumble down thru the first few appearances, then bounce with charming clumsiness on the forest floor of their careers. Matt Canterino, Cole Sands, Drew Strotman, and Josh Winder all are expected to be good pitchers very soon. I and I tummy get a pleasant feeling.
  18. jimbo92107
    Nice rhythm in his swing, but it looks like his spray chart would land every hit ball within a ten foot circle. Hoping Twins coaches can help him spread the hits a little more around the park. Good throwing motion, needs to cock his head over a bit more and develop more accurate footwork to get more consistent results. Oh how I miss Michael Cuddyer's rocket arm, and Pucket's gun from center...Both those guys could throw a freaking strike to 2B right from the warning track. Aaron Hicks, too. What an arm! I remember that very few runners would challenge Hicks, especially after they saw him gun one to the infield. Right center to third base, on the fly, steee-rike! Left field to home, on target, 105 mph... Sheesh! Power pitchers that convert to outfielders...find me more of those!
  19. jimbo92107
    Let's see, how would I order that list... 5. Martin. Least familiar, supposedly ranked up there with Lewis. Sounds like a star defensively, hoping he develops more pop with the bat. Who's a better 4th OF, Martin or Celestino? Can Martin play SS? 4. Lewis. For all I've heard about his limitless potential, I've only seen a few clips of him swinging the bat. So much missed time...! Twins need to get him up early, see what he needs to work on. 3. Polanco. The top three are huge here, but Polanco has the most prospects that could take his place: Lewis, Palacio, Martin, 2. Kirilloff. Twins gotta have that bat in the lineup to compete. Hoping he sticks at 1B. Sano could be going bye-bye with his 300k's and so-so defense. I'll take that same defense at 1B with a guy that bangs it off all walls and hits about .285. What was Killer's KO percentage with runners on base? I figure he'll drive in a few more runs with fly balls instead of K's. 1. Buck. With him, they won. Without him, they lost. That was pretty important in 2021. If nothing else, the Saints should have one hell of a team this year.
  20. jimbo92107
    At one point in my early 40's I worked my way up to the top speed of a machine that supposedly threw 92mph. With a light bat, I could hit a line drive about half the time, missing clean the other half. Weird yellow balls with dimples. Next time I tried was a several years later. 80mph was a blur, but I didn't work my way up. Couldn't get around on it because It came out of the hole at random times, often drifting all over the place outside the zone. Crappy machine. Not worth the money. I cannot imagine what it must be like to try hitting an 87mph slider or a 92mph cutter. Can you imagine how hard it was to hit a Maddox heater, when he could bend it a foot in either direction with pinpoint control, and no way to read it?
  21. jimbo92107
    That's what popped into my head when I just watched Sabato hit a homer. Kind of a heavier, slower version of Rooker, who has more pop in his bat. How the Twins choose their first round picks mystifies me sometimes.
  22. jimbo92107
    Duffy's success depends on commanding his heater at 96. If he loses command at that velo, or his velo goes down, then he's in trouble. But at 96, he can get K's, and he can get guys to swing early at his off-speed stuff, It also makes his curve an out pitch.
  23. jimbo92107
    I'd trade him or waive him. Sano doesn't fit the Twins system, which requires much more balanced, versatile players at every position. Sano needs a fresh start, anyway. The organization now has plenty of prospects that are athletic and versatile. Bring them all up in '22, along with all the best pitching prospects. Quit with this ridiculous trickle of guys. Bring up Miranda, Martin, Lewis, Larnach, etc. The best guys at AA and higher. Sink or swim, boys. Let's see if you're any good at this "baseball" thing you've been playing all your lives. Then play like the Rays. Pitchers throw strikes, or find somewhere else to play. Position players must be able to handle at least one other position with MLB average fielding stats. This includes SS and C. Hell, any catcher should be able to play 1st base, right? Then I wanna wanna see aggressive offense. Bunting, run and hit, base stealing, and at least one trick play per game. Oh, and during warmups, players should sometimes throw the ball behind their back. Skill guys can even try catching one like that. Show off while you're young! Ok, lemme squeeze the last helium out of this balloon. Every Twins pitcher must develop some kind of "trick" pitch they can throw for a strike. Eephus, behind the back, knuckler, hesitation...something to break up the monotony.
  24. jimbo92107
    Emmanuel Rodriguez'a swing reminds me of a lefty Garver, but with a freer follow through. Short to it, long through it. Screaming line drives and low-angle home runs. He will damage fences. Rosario's swing...good lord. Not just the power, but the carry of the barrel through the zone...almost like Hank Aaron. This kid will hit some mammoth home runs. If these two kids carry decent numbers into the bigs, they won't be counting their money, they'll be weighing it.
  25. jimbo92107
    Free Josh Donaldson! Much as I like his gung-ho attitude, Miranda is the heir apparent at 3rd base, and he should get slotted into that spot next spring. Miranda and Sweet Luis Arraez can take turns at the hot corner. Time also to move on from Andrelton Simmons, whose strong glove does not quite make up for such a weak bat. Personally I would love to see our two young sports cars, Royce Lewis and Austin Martin compete for the starting shortstop role, the loser going to...the outfield and part time shortstop. Get both young superstars onto the big league club. See if they can hang with major league pitching. Every season is an experiment. This season we discovered two important pieces of the playoff puzzle: Ober and Ryan. Next season we need to see if we can get better hitting and speed from the infield. Spring Training should also be when we find out if Duran, Balazovic and a couple other prospects can flash enough greatness to contribute a significant amount to a playoff run. Time for the kids to show their stuff!
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